Siren

Just a friendly reminder for those of you who have yet to submit your "Remember Halo" memories. Any replies received after midnight tonight will not be used. Everyone who has participated in "Remember Halo" will have their messages along with their gamertag sent to Bungie and 343 Industries. There will also be a drawing for those that have participated to receive a personalized Halo prize. For more details please check out the link below. Remember Halo Details Click here to view the article

The Kinect which launches on November 4, is set to change the way Xbox 360 gamers use their 360 to play video games. Have you been wondering what controller free games Microsoft will have available for Kinect's release? If you have, wonder no more. Microsoft recently announced the upcoming 17 titles that will be available for Kinect's launch. Kinect Adventures - included with every Kinect sensor purchase Kinectimals - $49.99 - $59.99 depending on the version Game Party in Motion - $49.99 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 1 The Video Game - $49.99 Your Shape Fitness Evolved - $49.99 Dance Central - $49.99 The Biggest Loser Ultimate Workout - $49.99 DanceMasters - $49.99 EA Sports Active 2 - $99.99 Zumba Fitness - $49.99 Kinect Sports - $49.99 MotionSports - $49.99 Deca Sports Freedom - price TBA Kinect Joy Ride - $49.99 Adrenalin Misfits - $49.99 Fighters Uncaged - $49.99 Sonic Free Riders - $49.99 It should be noted that Major Nelson announced that if you have yet to pre order your Kinect and games to do so now, because many retailers are sold out of their pre order allotments for the next step in controller free gaming. Click here to view the article

Before I announce the winner of the Remember Halo personalized prize pack, I want to say thank you to everyone who participated. We had a great response from the Gamercide community. The winner of the personalized Halo pack was decided by an old fashioned hat drawing of the names of the gamertags that participated. The winner of a personalized custom wireless controller and a personlized framed Halo photo done by myself is....... STEALTHY SHADOWS Congratulations go out to Stealthy and again many thanks to all those that participated in Remembering Halo. Click here to view the article

Trixie360 has announced on her Windows Live Spaces blog that she is leaving behind her title as Community Manager for Xbox Live and moving on to her new responsibility which is Xbox Live for Windows Phone 7. "This is a heartbreaking post for me. When I first came to xbox in 2002, people didn't talk about 'Community' in gaming. Oh, community existed of course, but no one called it that. My first forays into building community began with an interview with a customer. The term "Gamer Spotlight" I pulled out of my ass in a meeting one day. What was the point of it? To give a customer a moment of attention, and to let the nascent community learn more about someone who was also playing games on the new Xbox LIvE service. Back then we called it Live. Cause italics = futuristic. Over the following eight years I managed the Xbox.com forums, recruited moderators (they're all volunteers), doled out forum icons, banned forum jerks, managed the Community channel on Xbox.com, hosted a weekly show on Inside Xbox, covered events, nominated Xbox MVPs, created (and branded, and managed and promoted) Community events like Frag Doll Friday (with Ubisoft and Major Nelson), Xbox All-Nighter, Family Game Night, Music Monday, Co-op Night (with Co-Optimus), Play the Pros (with CGS, RIP), Mystery Gamer (with Major Nelson), Community Playdate, Ladies Night, Arcade Afternoon, Cross Platform Clash (RIP), and Indie Games Night. The challenges (read: miscreants) of Xbox LIVE led to the creation of two "Social Programs". The Xbox Ambassadors and GamerchiX (with co-founders Dirty Diva and PMS Kitty). With zero budget and next to no support the programs thrived...because of the amazing people who signed on. Being your community manager has been an amazing experience, and I am grateful to all of you (yes even the jerks) for being so passionate about Xbox LIVE, for always being excited for what comes next, for letting me know in no uncertain terms when we make mistakes, for never being boring. On this community journey I've traveled the world, met the love of my life, live-streamed my wedding, tweeted my water breaking, and blogged my ridiculous foibles such as driving away from the gas station with the pump still in the tank, spilling two drinks on a CTO when I snuck into the Sony E3 party, putting together a bookshelf with a can of corn because I didn't have a hammer. Community, to me, is the lifeblood of Xbox LIVE and YOU are the reason it works. I have learned so much from you, and hope that you've had fun and met cool people during my stint as Community Manager. I'm very sad to say that the time has come for me to pass the community torch. I have been asked to focus my attention on Xbox LIVE for Windows Phone 7. I will continue to write the Gamer Spotlight (so keep those nominations coming!), but will hand off management of my Xbox LIVE community events to Eric Doty who can be reached at xlmail@microsoft.com. Thanks for a great ride. See you on the phone -Trix" We here at Gamercide would like to wish Trixie all the best and a huge thank you for all of the work that she did while the XBL Community Manager.Click here to view the article

The fate of Clayton Carmine in Gears of War 3 was in the hands of Gears fans during the "Fate of Carmine" campaign. Will he meet a horrific end like the Carmine's before him or will he live on and support his fellow Gears? We will have to wait until the game releases in 2011 to find out, but in the meantime check out the thank you message from Epic below. They raised over $150,000 for Child's Play charity with the help of gamers like you. Xbox 360 Games - E3 2011 - Gears of War 3G4tv Click here to view the article

1. What's the story behind your gamertag? It's actually quite a complicated story. Bacon when I first got Xbox Live, I was bwler263, which is what most people here first knew me as. I soon outgrew that gamertag, and became CivilizedBacon. Yes, I do love bacon so I didn't hesitate in making that my tag. AFter a while with that as my gamertag, I was tired of having it as something so long, so I changed my name to Sabaid, which means fight is Scottish Gaelic. I was bored of that, so I finally switched to Bacon v3 a few years back. It's v3 because it's my 3rd iteration of my newer gamertags, and I kept around my love of bacon. I told you it was complicated.2. What game are you currently playing? Minecraft, Minecraft, and more Minecraft. Seriously. I have it on Xbox, PC, and my phone, so I'm almost always playing. But I'm also playing through Fallout 3 again. I recently started playing Company of Heros, and I'm having a ton of fun with that. 3. What game are you looking forward to that has yet to release? Borderlands 2 without a doubt. I'm also looking forward to FIFA 13 and Assassin's Creed 3. 4. If you could be anything in the world what would it be and why. A slice of bacon. In all seriousness though, I would love to be a filmmaker. Or an editor. I'm studying to become a GIS analyst though, and that's pretty cool too. 5. What is your biggest gaming pet peeve when playing with others? Griefing. I hate it when people grief. I also hate when someone has music blaring and their mic picks it up. Rude much. 6. When you aren't gaming, what are you doing? Lately, I've been reading a lot, as well as recording vlogs and Let's Plays for my YouTube channel. 7. If you were to take over the world, what would be the first thing that you would do? FREE BACON. For me only. My loving subjects must come to my palace if they wish to consume my bacon. 8. If someone were to turn you into a unicorn with a diamond encrusted bacon horn what would you do? Would you try to eat your new horn? Of course I wouldn't. My horn would be the source of my powers, including my ability to fart rainbows and poop perfectly cooked bacon. 9. In 5 words or less, describe your gamer self. Spastic and unusual. Click here to view the article

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What’s the story behind your gamertag The story behind my gamertag OceanicBones is from a poem I had written about seeing the ocean. It felt as if my bones were singing and so oceanic bones was born. Then, when I had gotten my XBL membership I couldn't think of anything else and just used that!What game are you currently playing? I've been playing a couple of different ones...I've been playing some Skyrim, Lord of the Rings Online, and the xbox version of Settlers of Catan. What game are you looking forward to that has yet to release? I'm really looking forward to Bioshock Infinite. I really enjoyed playing the other two so I'm excited to see what they do with this one. Though, the pushing back of the date was a little disappointing. I also can't wait for Dishonored. If you could be anything in the world what would it be and why. Anything in the world? Probably an astronaut. When I was little I had a cat named Smokey and I used to imagine us going into space together and anytime a problem would arise Smokey would be the one to take care of it. Plus, it'd be nice to see space and be better at math. What is your biggest gaming pet peeve when playing with others? Kill stealing. It's frustrating. I don't usually play with others but when I do that's the one thing that gets me. When you aren’t gaming, what are you doing? When I'm not gaming...well, right now I'm packing the apartment to move. Other times I'm cleaning, crafting or painting, playing with my 3 cats, watching shows on netflix, or on the weekends working on the house my dad and I are fixing up. You find a genie lamp laying on the street. You rub the lamp and instead of seeing a genie, a rainbow colored zebra pops out and says that you have one wish and you better make it good. What do you wish for? My wish...to be able to live comfortably without a job for the rest of my life. It sounds lazy but I would rather be spending that time traveling, and spending time with friends and family. You won a vacation to a private island, but you are only allowed to bring three things. What three things would you bring? hmmm...The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien (to read while sunbathing), my digital camera (to take pictures while exploring), and my ipod (to provide a soundtrack for the trip) In 5 words or less, describe your gamer self elaxed, happy, determined, quiet, comfortable Click here to view the article

What’s the story behind your gamertag My gamertag used to be AudaciousKevin from early 2007 onwards when I got my Xbox 360 and made an account. The suggestions all showed AdjectiveNoun so I made up a cool one with my name, emphasizing my carefree play style. I eventually got tired of having a fairly long name with an adjective in it and recently changed it to Kevnvek. I did a lot of Googling of variegations of my name to see what came up with the fewest results and eventually ended up on a cool rotatable pallindrome that's basically my name forwards and backwards with one 'n' and no 'i's.What game are you currently playing? I just started playing Darksiders II last night after completing Torchlight II and the excellent Borderlands 2. Ask me that question every week and you'll get a different answer unless I'm stuck in a huge RPG, because I have an ungodly backlog (or queue if you want to use a different word) of games I bought on Steam. Around five hundred, almost all from sales and such, quite a few from bundles, so there are a lot of little ones I may never get to. I look forward to playing Dishonored next, then Max Payne 3. What game are you looking forward to that has yet to release? The biggest game I'm looking foward to would definitely be Grand Theft Auto 5. Rockstar makes great games, and I predict good times in free roam if we get back together like we did in Grand Theft Auto IV. If you could be anything in the world what would it be and why. Realistically an established author or some kind of game developer. I'd love to be able to create the media I enjoy. Unreasonably, an immortal/god/deity. Not that I believe in any of that, but that would take being able to create things to a whole new level. However, if humans are the ones capable of creating so much, from religions to civilizations, are they not the 'gods'? What is your biggest gaming pet peeve when playing with others? I have a couple and nowadays prefer a good single player story (and streaming/livecasting it) or cooperative games over competitive multiplayer. But when I do play competitive multiplayer, I guess I'd have to say people who take the game way too seriously are a pet peeve of mine. The kind of people who start freaking out if their team isn't in the lead, and won't be happy unless they win. If you're not having fun, what's the point? When you aren’t gaming, what are you doing? In terms of work, when I'm not gaming I work at Walmart doing Maintenance (cleaning), but may very soon switch to Truck Crew (unloading boxes from the trucks and pulling them onto the sales floor). In terms of other hobbies, I like to watch movies, watch anime, and read. I only really read when I'm away from home and electronics or I'd read a lot more, but I enjoy fiction, sci-fi or fantasy, classic or modern. One of my favorite series was Frank Herbert's Dune, but I also read very classic stuff like Journey to the West. I'm even considering trying to write something myself, having compiled some ideas I've come up with over time. You were chosen to direct a movie based on your favorite video game. What video game is the movie based on, who would you cast as the characters, and would you change anything? I'd make a massive budget Final Fantasy VI movie with Andy Serkis cast as Kefka. There are a lot of other characters to cast but I won't bother, and it won't matter anyways. With his acting skills and the source material, Serkis would steal the show anyways. It may have to end up as a mini-series to not bastardize the story into under two and a half hours. In an urban legend fight to the death, who would win: The Slender Man, Blood Mary, The Clown Statue, or The Killer in the Backseat? No one would win. They'd all stop fighting and have a tea party together or whatever the hell urban legend figures do in their free time. In 5 words or less, describe your gamer self. Vicarious, fun-loving player of everything. Click here to view the article

What’s the story behind your gamertag Well, back in the day when I was a wee lad, I used to go by xStArDoMx. Can you just feel the teenaged angst? The story behind it isn't very remarkable. I went through some old gamertags for clans with lots of x's and alternating caps back when I used to play Halo 2 on the OBox. Once I got a 360, I decided I needed something better. I originally just wanted Stardom but, alas, it was taken. So I used my awesome workaround skills and came up with xStArDoMx. I've since moved on to bigger and better names such as Nick. Other aliases I go by are FeversMirrors (based off of an album by Bright Eyes) and Taters (my Steam name if I remember correctly!).What game are you currently playing? My gaming selection has been pretty limited for the past few years. I'm a rampant (read:addicted) League of Legends player as of right now. It's a MOBA clone of the original DotA from Warcraft 3. Little fun fact, it just became the most popular PC game in the world! Take that WoW players! Besides that, I basically just buy a few games here and there that look interesting. As of recent, I've played some I Am Alive, Bastion, Sleeping Dogs (surprisingly awesome), and have just started Alan Wake. What game are you looking forward to that has yet to release? I'd say the top 3 games I'm looking forward to most are the new Assasin's Creed game, BioShock Infinite, the standalone Day Z game. They all look amazing. If you could be anything in the world what would it be and why. If I could be anything, I'd want to be a teacher. There's just something about spreading knowledge to people that really makes it surpass any other thing I would want to be. Well, besides a billionaire with no job, maybe. That would be pretty cool. What is your biggest gaming pet peeve when playing with others? I just hate it when people AFK in a game. Why would you start a game of something, especially a team game, and then leave? It's infinitely frustrating and it really starts to get to me after a while. When you aren’t gaming, what are you doing? Over the past few months, it's really only been working. I like to spend my weekends out with friends. Everyone is hitting that 21 year mark so things are good! I also spend a lot of time browsing reddit and have recently gotten back into a reading habit (thanks Avahra!). Currently about halfway through House of Leaves. You are carving a pumpkin. You finish the pumpkin by carving the mouth. As you are admiring your carving skills, the pumpkin starts to talk to you. What do you two talk about? We would definitely get into some deep philosophical conversation about life and death. I mean (s)he would only have a few weeks of life before they start to rot and widdle away. I may as well discuss some existential options to 'em! You are at a costume store picking out a costume to wear to a Halloween party. You can only pick out a costume that is for the opposite s e x. What do you choose and why? Definitely a sexy nurse costume. My girlish figure could pull that off perfectly. I just need boobs. In 5 words or less, describe your gamer self. Patient, competitive, and sporadic Click here to view the article

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Battlefield 3's open mulitplayer beta is certainly showing off the gorgeous and crisp graphics that can easily rival Call of Duty or surpass the coveted series. Gamers who bought Medal of Honor: Tier 1 edition or pre ordered Battlefield 3 through EA's service Origin, received a 48 hour preview of the beta set to open on September 29th. via Video Games Zone (Translated) Click here to view the article

Ever wonder what is was like to grow up into being one of the most successful golfers in history before a huge sex scandal smeared the name, Tiger Woods? EA has announced a new mode for this year's Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13, "Tiger Legacy Challenge" that has you playing as the golfer from toddler on up to adult. The new mode will have you playing Tiger's "Toddler Years" from ages 2-6 as he learned to master his craft all the way up until his "Record Books" years that have him chasing his 19th major win. There is also a "Future" years mode that will allow you to play major golf events in 2014 and 2015. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 is set to launch on March 27th. via EA Sports Click here to view the article

The final Gears of War 3 map pack will be releasing on March 27th. "Forces of Nature" will feature 3 new maps and two remakes of old favorites. The new maps will take you to tsunami ridden Aftermath, tornado alley Artillery, and the tiny village of Cove that has been constructed by the Stranded. The remake maps will feature rain ridden Jacinto and snow storm covered Raven Down. Also included with the new DLC are four special weapons, four new character models, five new weapon skins, and two new weapon skins that are based on feedback from the Gears community. No word on a price tage for the pack, however those of you that purchased that season pass when Gears of War 3 released will get it for free. via Side Mission Click here to view the article

The Salt Lake City Tribune is reporting that the outspoken co-founder of Eat Sleep Play, David Jaffe is out of a job. Jaffe reportedly lost his spot at the company he helped he co-found in 2007, because Eat Sleep Play and Jaffe wanted to do down separate paths. Eat Sleep Play's other co-founder Scott Campbell has since confirmed this report and said that they company will now focus on developing games for iPhone and iPad. Jaffe was not the only employee to leave the company. Eat Sleep Play has also laid off 8 employees all before the launch of the Playstation brand exclusive, Twisted Metal on February 14th. via Salt Lake City Tribune Click here to view the article

This announcement from Sony regarding the upcoming Limited Edition Black Ops PS3 Bundle might be a little late to the party considering that it launched in November 2010, but if you are still interested in the shooter and want to play it on the PS3 and have no PS3, then you might find the following details exciting. The $299.99 160 GB bundle will feature a copy of Call of Duty: Black Ops, The First Strike Map pack, and is looking at a release date of May 31st. Um...thanks Sony? via Playstation Blog Click here to view the article

Publisher: Telltale Games Designer: Graham Annable Platform: Windows, Mac Os X, PSN, iPhone, iPad Genre: Puzzle/Adventure Release Date: June 30, 2011 Price: $2.99 -iPad, $.99 -iPhone, and $9.99 -PC The one man puzzle solving machine of the FBI Nelson Tethers, is back on the case solving puzzle-esqe crimes in the followup to 2010's Nelson Tethers: Puzzle Agent, Puzzle Agent 2. In this sequel, Nelson is still bothered about the unresolved case from the town of Scoggins including the still missing Isaac Davner. Nelson is determined to put all of pieces of the puzzle together and figure out what really is going on in the tiny town of Scoggins. Do you have the wits to help Nelson finally say "case closed" on Scoggins or will you start this adventure only to never finish it? Let's find out in our review of Telltale Game's, Puzzle Agent 2. After a brief little cutscene at the start of the game that has Nelson Tethers pondering about his past case, you are thrown into solving a small puzzle. Telltale Games couldn't call it Puzzle Agent 2 without there being puzzles after all. This puzzle is relatively easy. It is just a matter of moving around the circular bands and getting the symbols to not repeat themselves. This puzzle however is the only one you might enjoy. You are quickly thrown into repetitive and often lackluster puzzle solving of this point and click adventure that will make you wish that you had an actual puzzle in front of you to physcially solve with your own two hands, because it would make more sense and provide more entertainment. Some of the puzzles are difficult and will leave you scratching your head, but not for the reason you would expect or because of the difficulty considering the past level of difficulty in solving puzzles in the original Puzzle Agent. This was just sloppy and poor creative thinking on Telltale's part. Some of the puzzles do not have a direction that they point you in and you will find yourself either youtubing, chewing gum for hints, or looking for answers on Google, Bing, or whatever search engine you fancy. Now not all of Puzzle Agent 2 is dreadful. The unique art design by Graham Annable stays true to the first Puzzle Agent and continues the tradition of creative graphics that look more hand drawn instead of the highly detailed graphics that we have all become accustomed to, bringing in a breath of air to an otherwise dull puzzler. Nelson's story involving the mysterious teeny town of Scoggins also helps to add a bit of luster to the experience. However that luster is not a constant as sometimes I found myself clicking to advance the cutscenes just to get to the next puzzle. If you have the time and played the first Puzzle Agent, you should check out Puzzle Agent 2 just to see how the story unravels in the town of Scoggins. If not, then you can let this one stay on the shelf and app store. Click here to view the article

Gamers who purchased the PC version of Deus Ex: Human Revolution from GameStop found out the hard way that they did not receive the promised OnLive code that was suppose to be included with each new copy of the PC game. It's being reported that once customers got home, cracked open their "new" game, the code was not there, and GameSpy has uncovered an email that circulated to GameStop employees telling them to open each new copy of the PC version of Dues Ex and remove the OnLive code without telling potential buyers. Why do you ask? The following statement from GameStop public relations representative, Beth Sharum sums it up pretty well. For those of you that do not know, GameStop gained rival company Spawn Labs and Impulse which is a similar digital download service as OnLive this past July. Does this give GameStop the right to tamper with new games and remove competitor coupons? If you ask me, hell no and I agree with GameSpy who claims that GameStop may have set themselves up for an impending legal battle for tampering with purchases of new games without consent and knowledge of the buyer and then selling them as new. via GameSpy Click here to view the article

Make as many jokes as you want about this, but "Get Ready to Lick the Competition" says Microprose and Kung Fu Factory in a press release for their new arcade game titled, Girl Fight. Releasing later this spring, Girl Fight is well as the title implies girls fighting and will feature long legs, flying hair, and sexy vixen-esqe fighters. The female only fighters will be customizable with characters skins, abilities, and codex entries. No price has been announced for the fast paced arcade fighting game, however something tells me someone out there will pay $15 to see a little virtual T&A battling it out. via Joystiq Click here to view the article

EA has aquired one of the most successful social and causal gaming companies in the video game industry, PopCap Games. Announced late in the day on July 12, EA paid around $650 million in cash for the company and gave $100 million in shares to certain PopCap shareholders. The aquisition is expected to close at the end of August. No news on what EA's plans are for PopCap who is responsible for such hits as Plants vs. Zombies, Bejeweled, and Bookworm. Click here to view the article

Microsoft has announced their Arcade Next promotion which will feature 4 unique games and see an increase from 200 to 400 gamerscore points and contain up to 30 achievements for Xbox Live Arcade games. The upcoming releases begin on April 18th and will conclue on May 9th. Trials Evolution - April 18th - 1200 Microsoft Points Blood Forge - April 25th - 1200 Microsoft Points Fable Heroes - May 2nd - 800 Microsoft Points Minecraft - May 9th - 1600 Microsoft Points http://youtu.be/UiFDDCWBivk via Major Nelson Click here to view the article

What happens when Valve's ever so popular Team Fortress 2 and the highly anticipated fifth installement of the Elder Scrolls series, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim collide? You get this creative and hilarious fanmade trailer showcasing the perils of the gang from TF2 living in a world where evil is brewing in the horizon. http://youtu.be/4hD-KZsmBl4 via Bethesda Blog Click here to view the article

Looks like Santa is going to be delivering a special gift to gamers who want to dump their expensive cable or satellite provider. Microsoft has announced during a financial meeting that their Xbox Live TV service is on track to launch this coming holiday season. According to CNN, Microsoft's demonstration of the tv service showcased voice and motion control technology through Kinect and a sleek interface where Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said that gamers will be able to access their favorite channels, live tv shows, news, sports, videos on demand and more. Many financial analysists and executives from all across the board are reporting that Microsoft is in a unique place and have the opportunity to succeed where many others have failed. One thing that Microsoft failed to do throughout their meeting was mention a price, what their lineup will be, and who they have parterned with. That hasn't stopped rumors though. Some rumors have been circulating that Microsoft will allow cable and satellite providers to stream their tv schedules through Xbox Live TV so that gamers do not miss a single episode of their favorite show. via CNN and Eurogamer Click here to view the article